Feeding Frenzy II

The finches are beginning to come to the feeder. I have common finches which will have red patches, and finches that will become yellow once they come out of their grey and brown winter color. I can tell male and female, mostly by color patterns. They like thistle seed which is in a special feeder with little tiny holes to get the seed from. This is to keep the seed for the finches, which have tiny beaks that can access the seed. It also keeps the thistle, which is very tiny and fine, in the feeder. The sparrows seem to enjoy the thistle, but have a hard time getting their beaks into the little verticle slit. They do try and must have some success as I have refilled that feeder periodically. The sparrows are so plentiful that I don't even try to figure out who is who and which are mates. I'm always surprised with the variety of color and pattern in their feathers, and occassionally look in the bird book to see if I can identify a particular variety. I've not had much success. The other bird that frequents the feeder is the Black Capped Chickadee. They are fun to watch as they eat everything out there and mingle with whomever is at any given feeding spot. They are usually the first ones to arrive in the morning and are seen consistently throughout the day.